Arguing for Drug Testing Policy

This memo is in response to your recent e-mail in regards to random drug testing. I believe that implementing this policy would be extremely beneficial to our company as a whole. This is for the following reasons: financial savings, workplace safety, and to maintain our reputation. Financial Savings It is important that we strive to maintain a safe and effective work environment for every single one of our employees.It is estimated that workplace accidents related to drugs have costs employers in the United States $75 to 100 billion dollars per year. Those who abuse are also six times more likely to file worker's compensation claim and use 16 times the amount of health benefits as their fellow employees who do not use drugs. (http://www. employmentdrugtesting. com/screening. html_) Not ensuring that our employees are drug-free could end up costing our company a great deal of money in the long run if an employee under the influence injures themself or nother employee while on the Job here at Life Support, Inc.One might argue that implementing this drug-testing policy would actually cost our company more money due to the cost of the drug tests. However, the cost of a drug test cannot compare to the higher cost of worker's compensation or lawsuits to this company that could potentially occur due to an employee under the influence while on the Job. Spending money on these drug tests is a preventative measure to keep our company from spending more money in the long run. Workplace Safety It is absolutely vital that Life Support, Inc. rovides an environment in which our employees come to work knowing that we value their safety. The facts and figures mentioned above suggest that employees under the influence of drugs are extremely likely to cause and produce accidents in the workplace. The drug users are not the only ones at risk. Employees under the influence of drugs are clearly not performing to the best of their ability; their impaired state can cause them to make careless mistakes or exercise poor Judgment that they normally would not if they were in a ober state of mind.This can cause injury not only to them, but their fellow co- workers. By â€Å"weeding out† the employees who choose to use drugs, we will be providing a safer place for our workers and also show them that we truly value their safety. Maintain Reputation It is important for Life Support, Inc. to maintain a reputable image. By not tolerating drug abuse by our employees we present ourselves as a company that really cares about their people and also the quality of their products. https://donemyessay.com/unit-5-review/Our products will continue o be made of impeccable quality and be held to the highest standards in the industry. Our clients and those who use our products will know that Life Support, Inc. is a name to be trusted. This kind of quality and standards will reduce any possible liability for any malfunctioning equipment. I urge you to consider the potential savings, workplace safety, and our reputation as you continue to make your decision in regards to this matter. As always, please feel free to contact me if I can be of any other assistance to you.

Identification of an Organic Unknown Essay

Introduction I am supplied with an unknown organic compound containing one of the following functional groups: * Alcohol * Aldehyde * Ketone * Carboxylic Acid * Ester * Phenol Organic compounds have different functional groups and therefore differ from each other. They also react differently, I will use this method to determine the type of organic compound I have. I will conduct various experiments to narrow down the choices. I will the using the information I have gathered construct an, easy to follow, flow diagram. Prediction While conducting these experiments, I will produce solutions, which I may need for the next step of the flow diagram. By observing physical changes to the reactants and recording any substance given off by the product, I will be able to follow my flow diagram and therefore determine the unknown compound. For example, if hydrogen gas is released, and the flow diagram gives a choice of hydrogen given off, and no hydrogen given off. I will down the appropriate route and dismiss the other route. Plan To find the organic the unknown, I will need to find the functional group and I will find this by how they react. I will now describe the experiments that I will conduct, the safety precautions and any other information. Firstly, I will need to figure out how to separate the unknown into 2 different groups. This is done by adding Sodium (Na) to the compound in a test-tube. The Na will sink and a steady stream of hydrogen will be released, this will also happen when NA is added to Phenol and a carboxylic acid. I will collect any gas released and use the ‘pop test’ to test for hydrogen. I will be wearing safety goggles because the acid and phenol are very corrosive. If there is a ‘pop’ I known that it could be one of, an alcohol, phenol or carboxylic acid. I can now split the route into two and from what I discover from the first experiment I can take either one of the routes. If there isn’t a ‘pop’ then I will take the other route, It could be aldehydes, esters or ketones, I know this because these functional groups do not react with Na. To find out if the either of these groups are the unknown, I will use Fehling’s reagent or Tollens reagent experiment. I chose to use the Fehling’s reagent. This reagent determine whether the compound contains the aldehyde. The Fehling’s reagent contains copper ions, when added to an aldehyde it is oxidised to a salt of a carboxylic acid and the Fehling’s reagent is reduced. The solution will stay blue if no reaction takes place, but if the slution turn brick red then a reaction has took place and the unknown will identified as an aldehyde PLAN To find out if the unknown is either one of these the second experiment I will do is to do either the Fehling’s or the Tollens reagent experiment. I have chosen to do the Fehling’s experiment. This experiment is used to discover an aldehyde as Fehling’s solution contains Cu ions. When this is added to aldehyde the aldehyde is oxidised to a salt of a carboxylic acid and the Fehling’s solution is reduced. If there is no reaction and the solution stays blue I will know that the unknown organic compound is not an aldehyde but if the colour changes to brick red there is a reaction and an aldehyde can be identified. The reaction equation is displayed below of an aldehyde reacting with Fehling’s solution. 2Cu (aq) + RCHO(aq) + OH (aq) + H O(l) Cu O + RCOOH(aq) + 3H (aq) I would wear safety goggles during this experiment and handle the solutions with great care. When doing this experiment when adding solutions I should stay clear of the reaction area, as I do not know how the reaction will occur and if it is vigorous. Now that I am left with to other functional groups to identify from I can carry out one more experiment to identify the organic compound. At this stage I would have discovered that it does not react with Na so is not an alcohol, phenol or carboxylic acid. It also does not react with Fehling’s solution so is not an aldehyde so it has to be either a ketone or an ester. The experiment that I have chosen to see the difference between the two would be the reaction with 2,4 DNPH. I would get the unknown compound and place a bit of it into a test tube, I will then add drop by drop the 2,4 DNPH if I see a change in the solution from clear to a yellow precipitate with yellow crystals I will be able to identify the compound as a ketone if not it will be an ester. Now that I have the experiments I will do to indicate if the unknown compound was one of the three that did not produce hydrogen when reacted with Na. I will now describe the experiments I will need to carry out to discover if the unknown compound has either the functional group of an alcohol, phenol or a carboxylic acid that would release Hydrogen when reacted with Na. A further experiment I need to carry out to identify if the compound is an alcohol or is it not. To do this I will do a simple experiment by adding a few drops of universal indicator to a test tube with the unknown organic compound. This will identify to me if there is an alcohol functional group present. If this functional group is present then the solution would go blue/green therefore it would be near neutral although it will turn pink/red if a functional group of either carboxylic acid or phenol is present as they are acidic. After this experiment I will have two functional groups that I would not have identified as I have identified the alcohol. If I had carried out the first experiments I would know that hydrogen is released by this compound when reacted with Na therefore it would be an alcohol, phenol or a carboxylic acid. From the second experiment in this category I would either discover by adding universal indicator if the unknown is an alcohol or if it is both carboxylic acid and phenol. I can now do another experiment adding sodium carbonate to the compound and discover if there is a reaction. I would have a test tube with the unknown compound and I will add the sodium carbonate. I know that if a carboxylic acid is present then carbon dioxide gas will be released. I will have a measuring cylinder or larger test tube turned upside down in a water bath where a plastic tube will allow the gas produced to be collected in the measuring cylinder or test tube. This plastic tube will be connected to the reaction test tube via a rubber bung. The gas collected could then be tested to see if carbon dioxide is released. To do this I will add limewater to the test tube and if the solution forms a milky precipitate then carbon dioxide gas is present. I will then know that the compound is a carboxylic acid. If the precipitate does not go milky then I have identified the unknown organic compound as a phenol. I have discovered that I can do two further experiments on the alcohol. I could reflux the alcohol that I have discovered to discover if this is a tertiary alcohol or one of the primary or secondary alcohols. I will use reflux equipment such as the pear shaped flask and a condenser. I will add it up right and will heat the unknown compound containing anti bumping granules to make it less vigorous. I will use a Bunsen burner to heat the solution in the pear shaped flask. I will then release drop-by-drop potassium dichromate to the pear shaped flask. If there is no change in the colour of the solution and it stays orange then it is a tertiary alcohol. If there is a reaction and the colour of the solution goes blue/green a primary or secondary alcohol is present. To discover if the alcohol is a primary or secondary I could add 2,4 DNPH to the alcohol discovered and if it goes orange/yellow it is a secondary alcohol and if there is no precipitate it is a primary alcohol. In all experiments I will need to take great precautions as many of the solutions are corrosive or flammable. As I will not know the functional groups present in the unknown organic compound I will not know if it is flammable or corrosive therefore I have to handle it with care and try to minimise any spillages. I will wear gloves and wear goggles to protect my hands and eyes. I will not have anything close to the table that may be obstructive and may catch fire. I have described all apparatus that I will use in the description of the experiment therefore have not listed them. In all of the experiments I will add the same amount of unknown compound to the reactant. I will therefore add 2cm of unknown organic compound to 2cm to its reactant. I will however not do these when adding universal indicator, as a few drops will be efficient. Any further reaction equations that may be helpful are written on the sheet with the flow diagram. I have used the chemistry 2 textbooks written by Brian Ratcliff and Helen Eccles. I have also used the Heinemann Advanced Science chemistry textbook written by Ann & Patrick Fullick.

Black Boy Essay Research Paper 3 Black

Black Boy Essay, Research Paper 3. Black Boy, Richard Wright Black Boy, is both an indictment of American racism and a narration of the creative person # 8217 ; s development. As a kid turning up in the Jim Crow South, Richard faced changeless force per unit area to subject to white authorization. However, even from an early age, Richard had a ferocious spirit of rebellion. Had he lacked the resiliency to be different despite the force per unit area to conform to societal outlooks, he would likely neer have become an internationally celebrated author. The full system of institutional racism was designed to forestall the American black # 8217 ; s development of aspirations beyond humble labour. Racist Whites were highly hostile to black literacy and even more so to black Americans who wanted to do composing a calling. However, Richard did non merely face resistance to his dreams from racialist Whites. In many ways, his ain household and the black community ferociously opposed his aspirations. His grandma, a rigorous, illiterate Seventh Day Adventist, considered reading and composing about anything other than God iniquitous. Richard # 8217 ; s equals considered him silly and unrealistic and possibly unsafe. Throughout his childhood, Richard suffered force at the custodies of his household for make bolding to arise against his assigned function of low silence. In Black Boy, he frequently charges the black community with perpetuating the docket of white racism. Throughout his childhood and maturity, Richard reacted with acrimonious disdain toward what he saw as the entry of other black people to white authorization. Wright has frequently been criticized for neglecting to admit or appreciate the profusion of the American black community. However, his personal experiences clearly affected his relationship with it. Merely as he suffered maltreatment and ill will from his ain household, so did he have small comfort from the larger black community. Wright invariably clashed with what he saw as Black American entry, and, for personal grounds, clashed with all spiritual bigotry. The black community reacted to his rebellion in sort, and Richard suffered intense isolation and solitariness during the formative old ages of his life. He did non understand until subsequently that his household and the black community discouraged his rebellion because matter-of-fact entry to the outlooks of racialist Whites was a agency to guarantee the corporate endurance of the community. A rebellious act of one person non merely represented a menace to his or her life but besides to the lives of his or her household and the black community as a whole. This tenseness, between the demand to conform for endurance and the demand to arise in order to accomplish single and community dreams, is one that animated Wright’s life and his autobiography. In the book, Richard lays bare the paranoia and trouble of being a black adult male in America, even the purportedly non-racist America of the North. When he fled from the South to Chicago, Wright all of a sudden entered a new environment: The civilization was more tolerant, but lingering beneath was a latent racism. Richard found that the fright of uncertainness engendered by this racism, by the changeless subconscious cognition that blacks in America were 2nd category citizens, could drive many American inkinesss to subject to white authorization merely because it offered the security of cognizing what to anticipate. In the North, Richard could sit following to white adult male on public transit, and he could even impeach a white colleague of ptyalizing in the nutrient at a eating house where he worked. However, for a long piece, Richard did non cognize how to move. He, like many inkinesss, feared perpetrating an discourtesy that might take to the annulment of the meager rights the y had eventually achieved. Richard # 8217 ; s hunt for belonging finally brought him to Communism. But merely as Wright found deficient the dictates of the black community and of faith, he shortly came to happen the paranoia, fright, pettiness, and bigotry of the Communist party to be excessively much. He agreed with Communist political doctrine but non with its pattern. Wright # 8217 ; s hunt for ego, a subject that runs throughout his life of rebellion

Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Article Example The research involved samples drawn from students taking introductory business courses in the two countries. They used matching laboratory experiments to match the reluctance to give bad reports to people from the two cultures. To operationalize face saving in a manner that is sensitive to culture, a blame shifting opportunity was put into operation. To obtain the results, the data was pooled to form a two by two factorial design, the independent variables being national culture and blame shifting opportunity. The reluctance to report bad news was used as the dependent variable. Findings: The results of the study showed that the blame shifting opportunity present (treatment) group had a tendency of believing that personal blame could be avoided for problems that were related to software development. The control group which were presented with no opportunity to shift blames shared not this belief. Research Limitations/Implications: Since the studies were conducted in only two countries each with its distinct culture, it may not be fully assumed that the results apply to other countries and cultures such as African countries. Practical implications: Different cultures perceive face-saving, blame and bad news differently. While some cultures encourage blame shifting, others do not. Depending on whether a culture is biased towards lian or mianzi, managers should learn to treat their tendencies towards face –saving differently. Value to Reader: The reader gets to appreciate the fact that different cultures have different perceptions on face saving when delivering bad news or failure. In the organizational set-up, this information helps when dealing with one kind of failure or another as people from diverse cultures will either accept blame or shift blame depending on their cultural biases. It was learnt that in cultures where lian is dominated by the mianzi aspect, negative reporting revolves around personal protection

Is spanking child abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Is spanking child abuse - Research Paper Example Spanking is the most commonly used form of this technique and can be defined as striking the child’s buttocks with an open hand with sufficient force as to cause pain but not leave any injurious marks or long term harm. This paper will consider the corporal punishment known as spanking and answer whether such punishment is tantamount to child abuse (Brouwer and Knox). The first question to ask in order to establish whether or not there is any link between physical abuse and spanking to begin with is; what exactly is child abuse? Child abuse unfortunately does not have clear criteria which defines and differentiates it from forms of child maltreatment. Often researchers employ the use of surveillance and reporting in order to ascertain whether a child have been abused though there is no clear consensus as to which level of maltreatment constitutes abuse among researchers. Child abuse given its nature may be defined by how differently children may perceive the act according to the age they are at the time. Given the definition just given it can be seen how spanking may be perceived to be child abuse (Whitley, Tajima and Herrenkohl). Child specialists have actually defined the connection between the two to a point where spanking is actually found to be the first step in the road to child abuse (Brouwer and Knox). It must be said that from a humanitarian and moral standpoint children must always be protected from abuse of all types. As an adult it is the duty of both parental authorities and Guardians to establish and maintain the protection of the child from such harmful circumstances. Though the question is asked that even if children must be kept away from abusive practices that may ham their development it must be asked what if there is a need for the use of sub abusive violence. When we define sub abusive violence it can be said

Early Childhood Disabilities Program Case Study

Early Childhood Disabilities Program - Case Study Example The research for this report was mainly secondary and qualitative since primary research is restricted by time constraint for this report. The data was mostly collected from secondary literature and books and was based on information which was already available. Books and internet were the two main sources for data collection. An outline of the project management with an overview of its key elements is covered in this report. Although there is an abundance material available on the topic, this report is restricted to the work made available by authors on the topic of project management. The topic is broad and the information available from internet sources is limited therefore it is beyond the scope of this research to cover every aspect of project management. The selected information is applied only to a particular organization in Kuwait. Project management is defined by the Project Managements Institute (PMI) as 'a temporary endeavor undertaken to produce a unique product, service or result' (Lewis, 2006). In his book Fundamentals of Project Management (2006) , Lewis describes a project as being a onetime endeavor having a definite beginning and end , a budget, a defined scope of the work which needs to be done and the performance requirements which have to be met. The integration of processes such as, initiating, planning and executing, monitoring and control, and closing, results in project management. According to Lock (2007) before a project can be initiated, it is important to clearly establish its requirements, document them and to understand them. The first stage of project management requires the project to be defined. He also states that a project cannot be expected to be successful unless the requirements are adequately defined and documented. This includes the development of a feasibility report, which appraises the technical, logistic, environmental, commercial and financial aspects which may impact the project (Lock, 2007). The purpose of the feasibility is to ensure that the project is headed in the right direction and lets investors can make their decisions based on expert advice. Initiation also involves developing checklists which ensure that no important activity is left out in the process of project evaluation. After the requirements are established, the project scope needs to be determined (Lock, 2007). Legal consideration, contracts and negotiations with vendors and customers, quality control and termination are all a part of the project initiation and execution (Cleland & Ireland, 2004). Project management includes the planning activities such as development of goals and objectives, development of WBS, schedule for work, control and evaluation. According to Lewis (2006) at a basic level a project management planning includes: A project statement Project mission statement Project objectives Project work requirement with all the

Effective team performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Effective team performance - Assignment Example Team building concepts like Belbin’s Team Roles, Myers-Griggs Group Dynamics, conflict resolution and decision making were experienced as the team progressed through team development stages of forming, norming and stroming as described by Tuckman’s Team Development Model (Tuckman 1965). The team was faced with a number of problems that occurred during its entire developmental process based on Tuckman’s model (Beyerlein and Johnson 2000). Although improved collaboration, effective communication and alignment of individual objectives with team objectives helped to overcome these problems, Kayes (2004) is of the opinion that these could have been prevented at the initial stages of the project. The project presented number of opportunities to the team to remain engaged in number of activities that played significant role in transforming the group into a cohesive and effective team. This report focuses on key stages in the development of a cohesive team and the proble ms and conflicts faced during the process and steps taken to resolve these issues. The report also discusses key theories and concepts of team development and significance of their application in practical life and analyzes the transformation of experiences in reflective learning. Problem and Context In this project, I formed part of a group that was entirely unknown to me and I had no earlier opportunity of working with them in similar circumstances. Due to this situation, I felt anxiety as I was totally confused about the group members, their behavior, said or unsaid protocols for group interaction and team objectives, as mentioned by Myers-Briggs (1998). Tuckman described it typical to the forming stage of the team development (Tuckman 1965). In forming stage, future of team and the team objectives are not much clear. Members try to know each other, exchange personal information and make friends that help them to better respond to pressure situation in future. But as I gained mor e opportunities to interact and know other members, the anxiety transformed into confidence to effectively communicate and participate in the group activities. During the project, many problems like motivation, individual capability, ineffective communication and team dynamics as highlighted by Kayes (2004) surfaced. Team members were not focused on team objectives and were frequently found busy in their social and personal issues at the initial stages of team development. The team members belonged to diverse cultural background that presented a potential source for diversity conflict (Goleman 2002). I believe that like me other group members being almost on the same parity had the similar experiences, as they were also shy and hesitant to communicate among each other at initial stages. Although these problems impeded task completion, team development, cohesion and improving collaboration and coordination among the members but these provided opportunities to respond effectively to a particular situation and progress towards team development (Chaney and Lyden 2000). McManus (2000) stresses that teams are stronger in commitment, cohesion and understanding of objectives than the groups. Therefore, skills like self-awareness, self management, competence, social awareness and relationship management highlighted by Goleman (2002) as Emotional Intelligence played a key role in bonding team together towards common goal. Despite all the

Genders at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Genders at work - Essay Example Griffith & Goodwin (2012) observe that the childhood behavioral patterns are carried onto the workplace culture. Segregation between the male and female groups is also a characteristic that is evident in the workplace. Men form more cohesive groups that are greatly concerned with competition and turf protection (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). Women groups on the other hand are less cohesive but demonstrate high levels of democracy and avoidance of confrontation (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). These characteristics are very applicable in solution development and conflict management within the organization. From the above discussion, male employees are less likely to resort to democracy compared to female employees. In the occurrence of a problem that requires a solution; male employees are more likely to resort to fast solution development choices that will not require extensive consultancy techniques. However, the female trait in avoiding confrontations would lead to the development of the fairest and most democratic choice of solution, with the aim of providing the most satisfactory solution (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). Indeed the gender role in the workplace influences decision making processes and most especially in problem solving situations. The discussion concludes that male employees are less likely to go for an extensive problem inquiry compared to their female

Assessment Individual workbook (70%) 3000 words Assignment - 1

Assessment Individual workbook (70%) 3000 words - Assignment Example It acts in accordance with all the legal as well as other requirements essential for political involvement and dealings (Pan & Goodier, 2011). Political decisions of the government decide fiscal and regulatory policies which have to be taken into account at the time developing the strategy. For instance, the government’s ‘Mortgage Support Policy Scheme’ supports home owners who have fulfilled the set criteria to pay back their mortgages by offering around 80 percent of total interest assured. This policy will somehow decide part of Bryant-homes’ policy since the more individuals who can find the money to pay back mortgages, the more houses will be sold. Economic: The general economic view for the last six quarters has been that of a contracting financial system. Even with the small intensification attained, the majority of sectors of the economy are still suffering from the outcomes of the recession. The result, together with increasing unemployment level, is that individuals have smaller amount money to use, and are likely to spend their restricted resources on necessary products. This invariably indicates that the high end market where Bryant-homes is represented may suffer. Nonetheless, the government has made attempts to ensure ascertain that additional credit is accessible to individuals via the banks â€Å"by issuing bailout funds† (Barlow et al, 2003, p. 139). These developments indicate that the company may have to sell its significant stock of developed houses at prices quite below to what was actually estimated, with the purpose of raising cash and enhance liquidity. Social: The business has started different societal campaigns to support learning, secure operational environment and job assurance to the individuals. Social factors as well influence the policies Bryant-homes adopts since alteration in â€Å"patterns of living may dictate what sort of houses increase in demand† (Pan et al, 2007, p. 190),

Marketing Communication and Branding Essay Example for Free

Marketing Communication and Branding Essay Introduction After careful market research of some of the different phone markets in today’s industry; the market that was the most interest to the writer was the disability phone market. Of all the mobile phones researched, none were found to have Braille included; only speaking activated commands designed to send text messages as well as calling. The idea the writer proposes is a phone for the visually impaired which has a sole purpose for calling people. The keys will be fitted with Braille so that the individuals are able to effectively feel what number they are pressing. SOSTAC Situation Analysis Upon research it was found the size of the disability phone market is small in comparison to others, such as android where there are thousands of brands available. Around 360,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted in the UK (Action for Blind People, 2011), showing that, with the assumption that everyone needs a mobile phone in today’s society, the key segments that this brand will relate to are the 360,000 potential customers within the visual impairment mobile phone market. The key competing brands include Doro, an established competitor who supply a range of mobile phones for the disabled. They supply too many online retailers, ranging from handheld mobile phone to home landlines. Alternatively, Amplicom is another competitor who develops mobiles with large buttons, aimed at the visually impaired market. These competitors will be the toughest to compete with due to their experience and current market share; a large investment and money will be required to make sure that the proposed brand can gain a decent amount of market share. Porter’s five forces is an appropriate model which can be related to overcome such competition, due to its ability to â€Å"evaluate entry barriers, suppliers, customers, substitute products and industry rivalry† (Freitag, 2005). Furthermore Porter’s five forces can determine what the current market is for the brand, as well as the outlining any existing competitor’s positions in relation to the developing product. Moreover, it can also show how a firm’s stakeholders can influence the company with the use of bargaining power (Chee and Harris, 1998). This  information would be vital to obtain prior to the launch of the brand to reduce the chance of product failure. The macro-environmental factors will be implemented to the brand through PEST analysis; Political, Economical, Situational and Technological. Political factors which relate appropriately to the disability mobile phone market include the strict laws on the disposal of production materials such as batteries and any forms of radioactive waste, as well as any compulsory health and safety procedures during the production and contribution of the developing products. Breaking these rules could result in heavy penalties including fines and even the termination of the company in severe cases. Suitable economic factors include the assessment of the current poor financial climate. This leads to the assumption that it is currently not attractive to place investments as money is generally tight for most, reducing the overall customer base for the developing product. Example solutions for this could include enticing consumers with bargain phone prices or even reduced fixed monthly contract payments which will include a suitable amount of minutes for the target segment. Furthermore by offering all deals at lower end prices will suitably fit the market, as there can be a general assumption that those who are visually impaired may also fit well within the retirement market, a segment that generally has less money spare. Regarding social factors the main issue considered is ethics; relating to how products are developed and distributed, in addition to advertising techniques used to help promote the brand. Equal opportunities and fair working conditions should be issued to all employees involved in the development and promotion of the brand so that the product can represent diversity; relating appropriately to the disabled mobile phone market. Advertisements should be honest and not have any misleading content to confuse any consumers; and all information promoted will be fully implemented into the design of the mobile phone. Technological factors are by large the most relevant and important to consider within mobile phone industries. Due to the constant development of technology within the actual mobile phones, it is an competitive industry to be involved in. Nevertheless within the disability phone market the ‘look’ of the phone is a lesser important factor during purchasing; it is what the phone provides to the consumer to aid their special needs when contacting someone. Simple, up-to-date software is required so that all relevant  features are implemented, in addition to having an appropriately sized screen with higher contrast settings so that the visually impaired are able to read clearer. Large number buttons are essential so the Braille fits comfortably and the user is able to identify what number they want to press with ease. Objectives Here are three objectives that are going to be set for the new developing brand: * Increase awareness of the service in disabled people by 50% within 6 months * In three years time production costs should be reduced by 10% * In the next two years revenue should be approximately  £7 million These objectives act as sufficient targets and in turn will motivate staff and drive productively due to the time scaled that these objectives must be achieved. The chosen objectives all appropriately relate to the current disability phone market and the specific areas that could be improved, such as increasing the awareness of service for people with special needs. This could therefore encourage other companies to develop other suitable day-to-day products to suit their needs also, which could furthermore promote the idea of developing a whole new organisation specially aimed at designing products to aid people with special needs. Strategy The push/pull strategy involves creating demand from two aspects; push strategy involves the demand being created by the manufacturer’s distributers, and pull relates to the manufacturer creating demand via their own promotion techniques (Frazier and Summers, 2011). The brand will follow a pull strategy because it is envisioned that demand will be created through advertising and an effective, unique selling point. This is good because through a push strategy, it is sometimes required to distribute a higher volume of goods, which is better related to a mobile phone industry with a larger audience, unlike the niche, disabled market. Another benefit of this is that because the developing brand is unheard of an unproven; preventing stock piling of products if they are not sold, saving money. Although, a pull strategy will require a large investment for advertising, it is estimated that the cost of production and potential stock piling outweighs this in fiscal terms. Relating to the objectives, the pull strategy will aid  the accomplishment of said targets with the use of an advertising campaign, creating the demand that will create supply to the blind market. To engage the consumers, advertising campaigns will hosted at specific events which relate to the disability market, such as the Cambridge Disability Sport and Arts festival. By doing this it will allow the promotion of the developing product to be recognised and positively received by the disabled. This will allow potential consumers to try out the mobile phone and leave feedback regarding their thoughts and opinions. The Paralympics 2012 is taking place in London, an excellent occasion which can be related to individuals with special needs. It is a global event which promotes diversity of all sorts within the sponsoring organisations and sport activities; which can be related to the promotion of the brand’s developing product and encourage consumers to try it out to see if it can suit their needs. Combined, by implementing such advertising campaigns during the Paralympics and obtaining a respected and relatable celebrity sponsor can help achieve the completion of the increasing awareness objective. Additionally, after appropriate research, selling the phone at a competitive price will create demand; and furthermore help achieve the  £7 million revenue objective. To achieve the reduced in production costs objective, mass production will need to take place, which will effectively lower production costs, or even investing in a new technology to produce more units at a cheaper rate, over a period of time, may even reduce costs by 10%. Tactics Expanding further within the advertising campaigns aimed to help achieve the awareness and revenue objectives, this will include visual posters on noticeable areas of everyday life such as telephone boxes, buses, taxis and even billboards. To carry out ethical diversity promotions, the advertisements will also be located within care centres for the visually impaired, as well as any social and youth clubs to increase awareness. Radio adverts will also take place as it is fair to assume that a wide diversity range of people listen to the radio, allowing the promotion of the  developing product to all audiences. Any user feedback from testing the developing product will be noted down and kept for future improvement, allowing management to raise questions on how to improve the brand and image it represents to consumers. By doing so will potentially improve the awareness of the disability market as well as increasing the possibility of generating revenue due to the improvement of the product to suit the special needs. Ade Adepitan, a wheelchair basketball sportsman and TV presenter can be a suitable celebrity endorsement to help promote the product as he is someone the key segment can truly relate to will help achieve awareness and furthermore create a positive brand reputation which will create demand; and therefore revenue and profits. Issuing the mobile phone with a competitive price of  £60 is suitably competitive and will create demand; helping to achieve the  £7 million revenue objective if 116,666 units are sold within the 2 year time scale. Promoting this product in the UK only can help assess if the product is largely successful to its key segment, and after the 2 year objective is attained, further action can take place to help make the product go global. Lower production costs will occur if an appropriate manufacturer is found; who follows all ethical procedures the brand wants to promote, in addition to supplying the company with great production unit price rates so that the most possible revenue and profits can be generated. Furthermore, a ‘green policy’, known as a policy to help lead greener lives, can promote the brand to be extremely sufficient with its production, enticing customers and portraying the brand image to be ethical and fair. Nevertheless green policies are very expensive, which would mean that either a generous sponsor would have to be applied for, or even a loan would have to take place to implement such activities. Action Firstly, finance will have the overall responsibility of distributing budgets to all departments so that the entire production and launch of the new brand is successful. Once all budgets have been issued the marketing department will be able to effectively form a plan on when the launch will take place and what is proposed to take place during the entire duration. Within the marketing department a market research team will be organised so an investigation of production methods and price rates of manufacturers is performed, as well as making sure all ethical procedures the brand would like to follow are implemented. Relevant findings will be informed to the finance department to see if there are enough budgets to apply any new changes. All tasks taking place for the launch will be managed by a team leader – essential for the success of team member communication and task success. This will then be approved by a main, overall manager of the entire launch, so all task deadlines are met and workloads are of a high standard to boost the quality of the promotion. A time management tool named a Gantt chart will be implemented so all tasks are clearly shown, along with their time deadlines to help guide leaders and encourage team members to strive to complete a task to benefit the brand’s launch. This will be combined with a critical path analysis, where all shortest possible times in which tasks can be completed are shown to avoid delaying the entire launch. Example Critical Path Analysis, Source: http://tutor2u.net Example Gantt chart, Source: www.ganttchart.com/ Control Two things will effectively measure the growth of awareness and gather an accurate estimate. Firstly the sales records will be analysed. A growth in sales indicates the rise of awareness and any initial sales from year one indicate consumer’s knowledge of the product. A questionnaire will also be released to specific geographical locations and the results will give an indication as to how many people and how far spread the awareness of the branch has reached. An appropriate measure to identify whether or not the production costs have been reduced would be to look at energy bills to see if the change in production equipment or manufacturers has been an effective adjustment. To determine whether or not revenue will reach 7 million pounds can be monitored by customer loyalty and re-purchasing. A high customer re-purchase rate is a strong indicator that the brand is respected and trusted with their products and service. References Action for Blind People, (2011), Facts and figures about issues around sight loss, [online] available at: http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/facts-and-figures-about-issues-around-sight-loss/ [accessed 05/05/2012] Chee, H. and Harris, R., (1998), Global marketing strategy, London: Financial Times Pitman Publishing. Frazier, G. L. and Summer, J. O., (2011), Contemporary Views on Marketing Practice, [e-book] Marketing Classics Press. Available at: Google Books http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eqn23RV52hECpg=PA217dq=push+pull+strategy+definitionhl=ensa=Xei=IHeqT7y9DIqw0QWDgOXlAwved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=push%20pull%20strategy%20definitionf=false [accessed 24/04/2012] Freitag, N., (2005), Critical The Impact of Culture on International Marketing Plans and Review of the French Wine Industry, Munich: Grin Publishing, 1(1), p.15. GanttCharts, (2012), [image online] available at: http://www.ganttchart.com/gantt-chart-example.png [accessed 04/05/2012] Tutor2u, (2012), [image online] available at: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRKft-Y9gw7P3sIBXtcdKf4ot5R7Jqo_Pn-cUzg_bXwuovgXq1can7WpViQ0Q [accessed 01/05/2012] Bibliography Doro, (2011), [online] available at: http://www.doro.co.uk/products/Specialneeds/ [accessed 25/04/2012] Matobmobile, (2010), [online] available at: http://matobmobile.co.uk/index.php?id=elderly_mobile_phones [accessed 25/04/2012] Scribd, (2012), Pest Analysis, [online] available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58834389/Pest-Analysis-Nokia [accessed 21/04/2012]

Implementation of a Marketing Plan

Implementation of a Marketing Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The present financial crisis has negatively affected not only the US market but also International markets with economies experiencing negative global growth in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and decreases in global consumption levels. Now more than ever, companies (in Trinidad and Tobago) are faced with reformulating their business strategies in order to boost sales volumes by attracting customers through promoting traditional products but providing additional services not previously offered. Companies have to revisit their marketing strategies and implement new marketing plans that will not only create competitive advantage but also experience sustainable competitive advantage. As such the aim of this research is to identify and develop a marketing plan to strengthen Dhookups competitive advantage in Trinidad and Tobagos industry to viably survive in these current situations. Background Origin The company, now known as Dhookup, was originally formed by Mr. Kedelle Greaves in April 2008 to satisfy the growing needs of the working population by providing quality electronic products at a low costs compared to the Trinidad and Tobagos current market where such goods and services were seen as being very costly by customers. Currently, the company is operating at an adhoc basis with no formal marketing structure and Business plan. The Electronic products presently offered by the company are Laptops and Accessories, Desktop Computers, Cellular Phones, Digital Storages Devices, Games and Accessories, Electronic Accessories and Digital Cameras. In May 2009, the founder realise the need to restructure the operations and strategic planning of the company due to the present economic and financial global crisis in order to be remain competitive and viable in Trinidad market. A decision was made to reform the business from a sole proprietor to a partnership by inviting two investors to contribute equal amounts of capital, along with the founder, into the business which will be used to fund any additional investments and strategic future market plans. Snapshot of the Business The company was managed solely by the founder and now is managed equally by all investors with no other employees mainly because the present workflow was not demanding and did not require additional personnel. At present the company operates using a just in time system where, only when a customer wants an item, then the item is sourced and delivered. The customer makes a down payment (usually 50%), and then the order is placed for the item which approximately takes 2-3 weeks to be delivered. At the end of this period the customer collects the item by paying off the balance of the item. Mission Statement Dhookup will continue to be one of the premier electronic product and service provider within Trinidad and Tobago with an emphasis on Customer Relationship Management and timely satisfaction of consumer needs. Strategy Statement The Hook up will pursue a strategy of growth aimed at position the company as one the leading best costs electronic products and service providers in Trinidad and Tobago. SWOT analysis of the company Product and Services The company offers high quality products at an affordable price which is very competitive to the other similar suppliers in the market. Apart from providing competitive prices, consumers are well informed about the technical features and benefits of their desired purchases before any business is conducting by providing detailed information of the products specification, its capabilities and also similar products in the market. The company ensures that the customer is purchasing the correct product to suffice their desired needs and wants. Also, the company provides excellent after sales service customer support that is very unique to Trinidad and Tobagos industry. Customers have a luxury of after sales assistance, at no extra costs, in terms of trouble shooting of products and minor repairs. Any major repairs of electrical items are directed to an external partner who will automatically grant discounts on any services rendered. DHookups Product Mix is as follows: Laptops and Accessories Desktop Computer Cell Phones Digital Storages Devices Games and Accessories Electronic Accessories Digital Cameras Product Line RESEARCH OBJECTIVE Problem Statement The industry In the era of increasing technology advancements, the industry has seen a decrease in barriers to accessing products and services in regional and international markets by individuals and corporations. The public can now access these markets through various tools such as obtaining skyboxes and liaising with various import and export companies. The issues arising from this is that both individuals and companies are faced with the uncertainty of additional costs and risk incurred for importer these items to the local market. More and more companies either shift both the costs and risks involved in such transactions to consumer causing a strike in prices of these goods and services as compared to the international markets and/or an overall decrease in the level of customer service. Costs such as customs duties are not easily predicted due to the fact that as at present there is no formal costing structure on imported goods and services, thus values are determine by the customs department at the point of entry (please see appendix II for excerpt receipt statement). Customers engaging in acquiring skyboxes may be wary due to the uncertainty of the duties imposed on the items and also the risks involved in purchasing items on the internet. This acts as a deterrent to customers leaving them to rely on the local market, where there is limited variety. The Company Dhookup currently advertises based on referrals and recommendation by existing clients and there are no formal marketing strategies in terms of communicating the services provided by the company to the public. A lack of both strategic business and marketing plan has seen the company experience a lot of difficulties that hinders the growth of the business in the industry for both the short and long term. A lack of marketing strategies has contributed to low and inconsistent sales level. Due to the fact that business in generated solely on the referrals, the company does not presently have a huge clientele base and relies on existing customers for repeat purchases. This strategy has proven to be unreliable and needs to be addressed immediately to improve profit levels Brand awareness is one of the key issues and areas that need to be resolved and improved. Customers are unaware of the range of products and services offered by the company and there are no branding strategies initialise in the beginning in the incorporation of the company. Also, a more focussed should be placed on analysing the current and prospective product distribution channels available to the company. The company does not focus in any particular market in terms of advertising and distribution but instead provides products and services where necessary. By not focusing on any one particular target market the company cannot identify what their customers needs are and also what their purchasing patterns are like. Knowing your customer base is one the key areas that should be focused on when looking at what distribution channel is most effective. Objectives The main objectives of this marketing plan are to: Define the Target Market Identify the customer base Improve Brand Awareness. Identify the main competitors Outline a strategy for attracting and keeping customers Outline a financial plan to maintain consistent profit levels and growth As such the purpose of this practicum, in order to accomplish the set companys objectives, is to: Outline the importance and roles of Customer Relationship Management in sustaining competitive advantage Identify the Roles of Branding Identify the Importance and roles of Advertising LITERATURE REVIEW CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT What is CRM Customer Relationship Management or CRM, according the Ellen Gifford, is focused on the relationship between the firm and its customers. Successful firms build customer relationships by: Satisfying goals between firms and customers, Both Consumers and the organisations has a set of conditions. Establishing and maintaining a positive customer connection Producing positive outcomes for the organisation and the customers. Jill Dyche states â€Å"CRM is defined as the infrastructure that enables the delineation of, and increase in customer value and the correct means by which to motivate valuable customers to remain loyal and indeed buy again.† In todays current marketplace, companies have to focus on the needs and wants of the customer which entails providing excellent customer service to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. Excellent Customer services focuses on providing 24 hour service to customers before, during and after a service has been delivered. According to Turban and Efrain, (2002), â€Å"Customer Service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer satisfaction.† Customer relationship Management has evolved from a simple market concept representing a refocus of marketing with a greater emphasis on the creation of customer value. The main emphasis has shifted from satisfying customers needs to building long term relationship through value creation process (Evans Laskin, 1994). Improvements in Information Technology in the marketplace has empowered customers with greater and broader knowledge and facilitated the constant exchange of information between buyers and sellers. Firms are now focused on moving closer to customers, understanding their needs and allowing customers to actively shape their own expectation by co-creating value obtaining a strategic customer focus. Buttle (2002), states that CRM is â€Å"the development and maintenance of mutually beneficial long term relationships with strategically significant customers.† It is â€Å"an IT enhanced value process which identifies develops, integrates and focuses the various competencies of the firm to the voice of the customer in order to deliver long term superior customer value, at a profit to well identified existing and potential customer,† (Plakoyiannaki and Tzokas, 2001). Determinants of CRM In order to achieve these synergies between the customer and suppliers (firms) we must highlight what the underlying determinants of CRM are Trust and Value: Trust is defined as the willingness to rely on the ability, integrity and motivation of one company to serve the need of the other company as agreed upon implicitly and explicitly Value is defined as the ability of a selling organisation to satisfy the needs of the customers at a comparatively lower cost or higher benefit than that offered by competitors and measured in monetary, temporal, functional and psychological terms In addition to providing high quality levels of both trust and value, companies must also: Understand Customer needs and problems: This is an ongoing process and should take place before, during and after the sale is completed. Meet their commitments Must be honest: The company should also make sure the customer is always told the truth about the information provided for goods and services provided Have a long term perspective. Focus should be placed on establishing and retaining a long term relationship with the customer Developing customer relationship Successful management of the development process between the firm and the customer would lead to superior long-term performance of the organisation through improved customer retention. Ford et al suggested a relationship development model that consists of five stages: The pre-relationship stage: this is the event that triggers a buyer/supplier (customer/firm) to seek a new business partner The early stage: This is where experience is accumulated between buyer and supplier although a great degree of uncertainty and distance exists The development stage: This is where increased level of transactions lead to a higher degree of commitment and the distance is reduced to a social exchange. The long term stage: This is characterised by th e companies mutual importance to each other. The final Stage: This is where the interaction between the parties becomes institutionalised. According to the model in the early stages both parties are distant from one another but as time goes by the relationship is characterised by increased commitment and cooperation whereas in the later stages interaction decreases as the relationship is institutionalised. As with the life cycle model, the time span of each stage varies and it is difficult to predict how long both parties will remain in that stage before moving on or decide to not move at all and relinquish the relationship. As seen in the both models when the relationship enters the decline phase, both cooperation and the level of commitment and cooperation drops significantly. Firms are now faced with the task of attracting and retaining new and existing customers by ensuring that they maintain their positive relationship with customers through effective customer relationship management. Functions of CRM The functions of customer relationship management can be direct and indirect. Direct functions of CRM refer to profit, volume and safeguard as opposed to indirect functions which includes innovation, market, scout and success. In terms of CRM, direct functions are the basic requirements of the company that are necessary to survive in the competitive marketplace and the indirect functions are actions necessary to convince the customer to engage or participate in various marketing activities (Earl D. Honeycutt et al 2003) Profitability This distinguishes between the profitable customer who provides the firm with a positive cash flow and a high volume customer who helps the firm achieve economies of scale Volume this secures the necessary breakeven position of the firm and enables the firm to operate on a profit making basis Safeguard This improves the costs efficiency of a supplier and provides stability and control in sales in a dynamic marketplace. Innovation This allows products and processes to be developed together in order to improve the value of the offering to the customer. Market This wins customer support through referrals/recommendations when entering new markets and establishing new commercial and personal relationships Scout This results in market information gathered by customers and communicated to the supplier earlier than would have be known Access This refers to the help received from customers experience and networking when the firm interacts with authorities and trade associations. (Earl D. Honeycutt et al 2003) Though the functions of Customer Relationship Management is clearly outlined above, firms have different prospective on CRM on the whole. Some firms focus on CRM because they are driven by gaining competitive advantage as opposed to others who are view CRM as an opportunity to improve the relationship with another company to minimise the effects of market volatility. No matter what the firms objectives and goals are in utilising CRM tools, the models they choose must support these objectives by improving the overall relationship between the firm and the customer. This is accomplished by adding value to the customers experience. Evan and Laskin 1994 introduced a model of relationship selling that evidently differentiates between three underlying and fundamental components: Relationship inputs, relationship outcomes and assessment. According to the model, effective relationship management is understanding customer expectation, building service partnership with customers, empowering employees to fulfil customer needs and providing the best quality to customers to satisfy their respective needs (introduction of Total Quality Management (TQM). If implemented in the most effective manner these inputs would lead to positive outcomes such as improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, and increased customer perception of the firms product and services, which in turn would affect the firms profit. Of course the opposite applies if these inputs are not successfully implemented. The assessment state integrates two components, customer feedback and integration. Firms should engage in customer feedback mechanism to ensure at all times customer needs are being addressed and met. The firm should ensure that the relationship marketing processes is integrated into the strategic planning framework in order to align it to the firm s overall goals and objectives. Smith and Barclay 2003 identified a standard model for building effective customer relationship based on some key factors; Interdependence, Cooperation and mutual trust. The model highlights that both the customer and supplier perceive interdependence as the channel to cooperate and also the motivation to exchange a level of trust and commitment. Mutual Trust and Cooperation contribute significantly to the effectiveness of the relationship creating relationship dynamics. As the relationship grows and develops into a partnerships (maturity stage) both parties shares similar and agreed objectives and visions maximising the effectiveness of the relationship. Apart from the models highlighted above aimed to improving the relationships between both parties through CRM, Parasuraman et al (1996) also introduced the â€Å"GAP† model of service quality by identifying five major gaps that face organisation to meet customers expectation of the customers experience. BRANDING ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION METHODOLOGY Market Research is an objective, systematic collection and analysis of data representing a particular target market, environment and competition incorporating some form of data collection, either primary or secondary. The following key areas would be focused on in this section: Research design Target population and Sample Data Collection Technique Validity and reliability of the research Research Design The research design of the practicum depends on the extent to which the theory highlighted is derived. There are two types of research design; Deductive approach: Where you develop a theory and hypothesis (or hypotheses) and design a research strategy to test the hypothesis or Inductive approach: Where you collect data and develop the theory as a result of your data analysis (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2007), For the purpose of this research a deductive approach will be used. According to Robson (2002) there are five sequential stages through which deductive research will progress: Deducing a hypothesis from the theory (a testable proposition about the relationship between two or more concepts or variables). Testing the hypothesis in operational terms (i.e. indicating how the concepts or variables are to be measured). Relationships between two or more specific concepts or variables are proposed. Testing the operational hypothesis. Examining the specific outcome of the inquiry (confirming the theory or indication modification is needed) If necessary, modify the theory. Though the deductive approach is usually affiliated with the quantitative research design, this practicum would utilise a mixed approach design, focusing on both quantitative and qualitative approaches in gathering data through discussions, observations and questionnaires. The research design will be a descriptive study in order to portray an accurate profile of events and situations and to gain deeper insights into the main topic highlighted. The descriptive study, also known as the statistical approach, describes data and characteristics of the population being sampled by answering the questions who, what, where, when and how. The research was also designed in such a way to determine the spending habits of the targeted population with respect to age, gender and social disposition by gathering primary data. It also tested the participants knowledge of the industry and the perceived factors affecting Demand and Supply for the electronics products locals and internationally. Research Techniques As stated previously, the information gathered from the research was primary data, using research techniques such as Surveys and Observations of consumers and similar suppliers in the domestic market. The Survey was conducted through Eighty five (85) Questionnaires distributed and returned from a random sample of a targeted population. The questionnaire allowed the researcher the opportunity to answer who, what, where and how through various questions posed to the participants therefore using the desired descriptive research design. The survey would also allow the researcher to collect quantitative data to be analysed quantitatively and also collecting the data to suggest possible relationships between two or more variables which can be explored through existing models. The questionnaire tested the participants on various areas such as: The knowledge of customers in the market The online shopping awareness of customer The factors that affect the demand for products and services in the said market. Customer satisfaction Etc. Both techniques were also considered to be highly economical due to the constraints of the project both in time and financing as it can be quickly administered at low cost to the researcher. Sample and Population A random sample was taken from a population consisting of both UWI and Authur Lok Jack Students. Each participant was randomly selected and approached face to face by the researcher at different locations of the respected campuses. At the University of West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, random samples were taken from students entering the food court at lunch time to capture the heavy influx of students and also at the pickup area in the afternoon. At Arthur Lok Jack Graduate school of Business candidates were approached at the front desk during the evening sessions to capture the majority of students from different disciplines. Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of business and the University of the West Indies students were chosen as the population mainly because they were seen as the ideal target market based on past and current purchases and demand trends. Credibility and Validity of the research Participants had a clear understanding of the purpose of the questions posed in the questionnaire and its objectives. Each questionnaire was distributed by the researcher in order to prepare for in any unforeseen problems arising from misinterpretation of the questions and as well explanations of the various terminologies used. It was felt that the researcher would be best person to answer any of these questions at any moment notice. Also, the questions were structured in order to facilitate the ease of completion of the form by ensuring that all questions were concise and straight to the point.

Character evolution through three scaffold scenes Essay -- essays rese

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 (net). He attended Bowdoin College with famous writers such as Horatio Bridge and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (net). In 1850, Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter (1222). It is considered by many that The Scarlet Letter, â€Å"represents the height of Hawthorne’s literary genius. At this time, Boston was the center of a very Puritan society. Throughout the novel Hawthorne uses many symbols. For example, one prominent symbol is the scaffold. During this period in time, the scaffold was used for public humiliation. Those who had committed either a crime or a sin were forced to stand upon it in front of everybody in the town, as a form of confession or public recognition of one’s sin. In The Scarlet Letter, the scaffold not only represents the act of confessing but it also can be seen as a symbol of the stern, inflexible doctrine of the Puritan faith. The Scarlet Letter is centered on the three scaffold scenes , which unite the work, beginning, middle, and end. Hawthorne uses these scenes to aid in his development of the main characters, Hester Pryne, the Reverend Mr. Dimmsdale, and to a lesser degree, Roger Chillingsworth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Dimmsdale commits the sin of adultery with Hester Pryne. As a result of this sinful act she bares a child which she names Pearl, the living evidence of their sin. The first scene takes place while Pearl is still an infant. Hester is made to ...

Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

Huckleberry Finn Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark Twain there are two major symbols. One of those symbols is the Mississippi River and the other is the Village in which Huck lives. The two symbols represent freedom and rules respectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Village is a symbol of rules and the law. This symbol is very obvious when Huck is living with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. For instance, Huck asked if he could go out and have a smoke and the Widow Douglas said â€Å"†¦it was a mean practice and wasn’t clean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Twain 2). This restriction was not the only one. The Widow Douglas’s sister Miss Watson would keep â€Å"pecking at him† (Twain 3) and telling him â€Å"don’t scrunch up like that Huckleberry—set up straight.† and when he did that she would say â€Å"Don’t gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don’t you try to behave?† (Twain 2). The Widow Douglas also made Huck go to school and read the Bible, both things he did not want to do. Huck was being pushed into religion and was being corrected and told what he was doing was wrong constantly. Huck needed some freedom, which he found on the river.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mississippi River is a symbol of freedom to both Huck and Jim. Huck escapes from the widow’s house and gets to do whatever he wanted when he wanted. For instance, Huck could pull out his pipe and smoke all he wanted. When the ferry boat came to look for him, he â€Å"lit a pipe and had a good long smoke† (Twain 38). For Jim, the river means a new chance at life. A life without being a slave and not taking orders and doing whatever he is told. Jim wants to do whatever he wants to do. The river also gives Jim a chance to get to Cairo and earn some money. He needs to earn the money so he can buy his wife and daughter from The Widow Douglas. If she will not sell his wife and daughter back to him then he plans to go and steal them back. Then Jim will actually be able to enjoy his freedom with his family.

Cambodia - The Rise of the Khmer Rouge and the Genocide (1976-1978) Ess

During the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia was turned into a giant labor camp creating a system of terror, genocide, and attempted cultural annihilation-a series of drastic events that the country is still recovering from. The years contained within this regime were devastating for the nation of Cambodia, with the establishment of the Khmer Rouge, a left-wing Communist political party whose actions have had an overwhelmingly detrimental effect on the political, economic and social structure of Cambodia-ruining the lives of millions. As a strong communist organization with aims for Cambodia that would leave the country in dire need of help, the Khmer Rouge defectively impacted the easy-going life Cambodians knew. With much determination, the Khmer Rouge was an insurgent movement of varying ideological backgrounds developed against the Lon Nol regime in 1960 (Rowat 2006). It began as a left-wing organization made up of a small group of French educated communists, but soon grew to become Cambodia?s leading and most influential political party. Following the establishment of the party, the Khmer Rouge?s revolutionary army grew rapidly, aiming to consolidate its control taking over most of the country (Dennis 1988). Their leader Pol Pot was an admirer of Maoist communism, which is where the group?s strong communist ideas originated. Pol Pot?s ideologies for the future of Cambodia were truly corrupted and powerfully triggered the downfall of the nation of Cambodia (Peace Pledge Union 2007). Pol Pot wanted to wipe out all traces of the old Cambodia and start a new society, one that was strictly ordered and structured by a series of rules. With the Khmer Rouge becoming even more powerful in the very late 1960s, US bombers interfered to st... ... 30 000 Vietnamese. In December of 1977, the Khmer Rouge broke off diplomatic relations with Vietnam, who retaliated with an attack 30 km into Cambodia in 1978 (Sutherland 1990, p. 158). Upon occupation, the Vietnamese were welcomed at first by the Cambodians as their saviours from the Khmer Rouge extremists (Sutherland 1990, p. 161). During the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia was turned into a giant labour camp creating a system of terror, genocide, and attempted cultural annihilation, a series of drastic events that the country is still recovering from. The years contained within this regime were devastating for the nation of Cambodia, with the establishment of the Khmer Rouge, a left-wing Communist political party whose actions have had an overwhelmingly detrimental effect on the political, economic and social structure of Cambodia, ruining the lives of millions.

School Systems in Japan India and the US

This site is an first-class one to utilize in that it defines what a typical school twelvemonth looks like in England. This site besides describes what the standardised testing that is required for each pupil, what vacations are observed during the school twelvemonth, and when pupils are able to go forth school. This web site was written by a former instructor at the school. Bing a instructor, Ms. Barrow was able to easy depict how the educational system works in England. ( Barrow, 2009 ) Combs, K. & A ; Angela Bartlett. ( 2007, October ) . Education in Japan. Retrieved from www.education-in-japan.info This website gives an first-class overview of the school system in Japan and what the national course of study is in Japan. This site besides explains how the Japanese came up with the current system of primary, in-between and high schools. This site besides explains the learning doctrine in Japan and the four key functions pupils have in modern Nipponese schooling. This site was started by two adult females who wanted to explicate how the instruction system worked in Japan. They lived in Japan for a clip and wanted to assist people who were either traveling to Japan or non-Japanese people populating in Japan understand the school system. ( Combs & A ; Bartlett, 2007 ) Education system in India. ( 1998 ) . Retrieved from www.indiaedu.com/education-india/education-system-india.html This website gives an overview of the instruction system in India. This site besides talks about the universalization of an simple instruction in India and why it has non to the full occurred. It tells at what age a pupil is required to go to school and at what age they are allowed to go forth school. This site besides gives stats demoing the literacy rate between males/females and rural/urban countries. This site was started by a company that is based in India and was started in order to supply resources for the people of India to be able to obtain higher instruction grades. ( â€Å" Education system in, † 1998 ) Miller, D.C. , Sen, A. , Malley, L.B. , Burns, S.D. , & A ; Owen, E. US Department of Education, ( 2009 ) . Comparative indexs of instruction in the us and other g-8 states: 2009. Washington, DC: US Department of Education. This article compares the G-8 states and gives statistics demoing where the United States falls in assorted classs such as subject jobs, and entire population, per centum of pupils enrolled in formal instruction. There are besides statistics comparing instructor experience in the United States and the United Kingdom. This article besides goes on to give really elaborate information on the school systems of each of the G-8 states, which include Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Because this article was written by people in the US Department of Education, it should be accurate and timely. ( Miller, Sen, Malley, Burns, & A ; Owen, 2009 ) Osgood, R. L. ( n.d. ) . Dawdlers, idiots, human cinders and other curious childs: progressivism and pupil differences in determining public instruction in the united provinces. Unpublished manuscript, Muskingum University. This was a address given by Mr. Osgood which explicating how labels ( both good and bad ) were applied to pupils in the United States and how these labels affected their public presentation in school. Mr. Osgood went back to a book published in the early 1900 ‘s to obtain some of the background for his address. He talks about how labeling pupils either helped them stand out or keep them back from accomplishing ends in school. He besides spoke on how labels changed since the early 1900 ‘s. For illustration, a pupil, in the early 1900 ‘s, who was falling behind in school was called a dawdler. Today, he would necessitate particular instruction categories which would cement the label of being slow. Mr. Osgood was President of Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio and an pedagogue so he is a believable beginning. ( Osgood ) Ruddock, G. & A ; Sainsbury, M. ( 2008 ) . Comparison of the Core Primary Curriculum in England to those of Other High Performing Countries. Department for Children, Schools, & A ; Families. This article was written by two bookmans in England who were comparing the instruction given to English kids from ages 7 – 11 to kids from around the universe. This article focuses on three chief countries, Mathematicss, Science and Literacy. The bookmans found that in Mathematics, the stuff was similar to the eight other states included in this survey. In Science, the bookmans discovered many assortments of course of study. No 1 was perceived to be better than any other. In literacy, the bookmans discovered that the other states were more likely to include the doctrine and principle behind the linguistic communication where in England, this was instead brief. This paper was written by two bookmans by petition of one of the British Government Departments. School old ages in England. ( n.d. ) . Retrieved from www.learnenglish.de/culture/educationculture.htm This website gives a elaborate listing of what ages are in what classs. It besides explains the difference of a Public school and a Government tally school. This site besides explains what national testing is done at what age degree and at what age a pupil is allowed to go forth school. This site was written to let non-English speech production people to larn English. All of the information obtained on this site was able to corroborate information received on other web sites refering to the English Education system. ( â€Å" School old ages in, † ) Schutz, G. , West, M.R. , and Wobmann, L. ( 2007 ) , â€Å" School Accountability, Autonomy, Choice, and the Equity of Student Achievement: International Evidence from PIDA 2003 † , OECD Education Working Papers, No. 14, OECD Publishing. Department of the Interior: 10.1787/246374511832 This article explains the doctrine that if a kid succeeds in schools so they will win later in life. This article besides explains whether supervising instructor lessons has any impact on pupil public presentation. This article talks about holding issue tests before a kid is allowed to go forth school and if that is a productive thought or non. This article besides touches on the thought that kids with low socio-economic alterations achieve every bit much as those with high socio-economic alterations. OECD, or Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is a authorities organisation in France and should be a really dependable beginning for this paper. ( Schutz, G. , 2007 ) Schmidt, W. H. , Houang, R. , & A ; Shakrani, S. ( 2009 ) . International lessons about national criterions. Thomas B Fordham Institute. This article, written by three writers at the Thomas B Fordham Institute, gives information refering to the Indian School System. It provides more information refering how the Indian Government perceives instruction and how the schools are funded. It besides explains the National Curriculum that India has and who is responsible for implementing that the course of study is followed. It explains who comes up with the course of study for each topic, what topics are taught in what schools and when national tests are given. The Thomas B Fordham Institute is an organisation that wants to progress educational excellence for every kid. ( Schmidt, Houang, & A ; Shakrani, 2009 ) Wieczorek, C. C. ( 2009 ) . Comparative analysis of instruction systems of American & A ; Nipponese schools: positions and visions. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Foreign Languages, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio. This article explains how the Japanese and the United States school systems are similar, but it besides explains how they are different. The writer ne'er comes out and says which is better, but he does indicate out that the United States seems to hold more troubles to get the better of. This writer wrote this paper as a consequence of an assignment for a category he was taking at the University. Some of the information that was given in this paper could be verified by other beginnings. ( Wieczorek, 2009 ) World Bank, ( 2000 ) . Investing in instruction: analysis of the 1999 universe instruction indexs, instruction and accomplishments Washington, DC: Retrieved from www.electrade.gfi.fr/cgi-bin/OECDBookshop.storefront This article explains in item how the instruction system in India plants. It explains what ages are in what school each age is assigned. This article besides explains how the federal authorities and the provincial and regional authoritiess are involved in the instruction system. The World Bank is an organisation overseen by the United Nations. The information presented by them should be every bit accurate as possible. ( World Bank, 2000 )

Out Out Poem’s Analysis Essay

Through the use of metaphoric presentations, Frost was able to describe the causes and the facts behind the truth of child labor. It could be observed that the discussion of the boy’s feeling towards the situation that he faces. To be able to end the dilemma that he has been involved with, he tried to cut himself. However, freeing himself was something that caused further problems for him, and worse is his death. This notes of the possibility that young individuals involved in child labor usually feel uneasy and are not having the fine time of their lives. The disgust that they particularly feel about the situation that they are in has been noted through the description of the natural reactions with regards the certain changes of climate. The climate particularly describes the actual emotional intensity of the situation. On the other hand, the issue of the poem may also refer to the different beauties of human living that is dealing with the challenges of life as it is. Challenge and hardships are described as the major part of human living. Without them, life would not be as fascinating as it may seem. In this particular view, the boy’s death could be observed to have been involved in the description of what giving up may have cause many others who decided to simply quit fighting for a better life. Those people are the ones who are less able to see the importance of challenges in actually assisting them in their growth towards individual involvement. The interpretation of the poem actually depends on the idea of the readers themselves and their view upon life. The author’s point in completing the poem has actually been based from the sensitivity that he feels towards nature and the way it relates to actual human living.

“Master Harold”…and the boys Essay

Essay on â€Å"Master Harold†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and the boys Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Master Harold†¦and the boys is a play written Athol Fugard in early 1982 depicting apartheid in South Africa. Fugard wrote a number of novels, short story, and plays featuring political upheavals and especially apartheid in South Africa. In the book, he introduced friendship between whites and blacks where Sam, Willie, the blacks and Harry, a white interacts together in close friendship. He contradicted it with how racism could spoil friendship among friends, a factor that contributed to propagation of apartheid. Racism is the major theme of the play where Harry’s parent shows discrimination against blacks. Her mother discriminated her servants, Sam and Willie telling Harry not to spend most time with them. His father has been found most of the time drinking in whites place. Although, Harry, Willie, and Sam were in good relationship, his racism that has been instilled by his parents is evident and mostly torn them apart. Harry being raised by a racist family and in environment full of racism, he developed racial discrimination character that was evidenced when interacting with his fiends Sam and Willie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Harry developed discriminatory personality from the fact that he was raised by racist facility. Harry’s mother was depicted as a racist in the play where she employed blacks as servants. They were poorly paid since she believed that they did not deserve good remunerations and good job. She was found refraining her son, Harry from interacting with them because they were black. These actions resulted to development of racism character in Harry. He sometimes addresses them as the boss despite Sam and Willie being older than him. Willie calls him â€Å"Master Harold† and in some instances demand Sam who was like his father to call him the same name. He did this from what he experienced from his parents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Harry grew up in places where people were segregated in races with designated places for whites and blacks. In the book, the author wrote about different places that were marked for whites and blacks. Blacks were not allowed to interact with whites at certain areassince they were regarded as â€Å"whites only’† (Fugard 56). For example, when Sam made a kite for Harry, the author pointed out that he tied it to a seat labeled whites and since blacks not permitted to play there, they left Harry alone. In addition, when Harry’s father got drunks and was stack in white people pub, Harry had to seek permission in order for Sam to enter and pick his father. This was evidence that Harry grew up in a racism environment and thus ended up as a racism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of growing in a racism environments and with racists family was evident Harry broke an argument with same and spat on him. Harry lived with a drunkard father who was a racist. Since he grew up in this environment, he had developed a negative attitude about black. When Sam informed him about his father’s discharge from the hospital,â€Å"Harry spit on him† to release his anger of that fact that he did not want his father home (Fugard 56). He demanded to be called â€Å"Master Harold† by Sam because of his ego as white man. Although Sam had reacted on it, he was kept on toes by Willie who reminded him that Sam was just child who did not knew what he was doing. This evidenced that racial discrimination played a great role in creating enmity and violence during the apartheid era in South Africa. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Master Harold†¦and the boys was a play written by Fugard depicting how racism could be developed by down the family and interaction with the environments. Harry was brought up in a racist family and environments that advocated for racism. His mother refrained him interaction with Sam and Willie for their color backgrounds. Although Sam, Harry, and Willie grew up as friends for a long time despite their age differences, racial discrimination resulted in violence that was evidenced when Harry spat to Sam to relieve his anger of living with his father. This was a sign that Harry had developed racism from the environment he grew in. Hence, Fugard used literary work to address evils in the society, which can be explained by enactment of a number of legislation on apartheid after the play was published. References Fugard, Athol. â€Å"master Harold† and the Boys. New York: Vintage Books, 2009. Print. Source document

Islam and Islamic Fundamentalism Essay

the lingering fear of terrorist attacks and threats to US homeland security. Indeed, the prejudice against Muslims and Islam adherents has become more pervasive in a post-9/11 America, where the racial stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists or suicide bombers endanger not only those who are cast in such a negative light but also those whose paranoia renders them insensitive and unable to fully grasp the roots of the conflicts based on faith. In his analysis of the roots of Islamic fundamentalism, Hashemi (2004) asserts that there is nothing particularly Islamic about Islamic fundamentalism. Instead, Islamic or any other form of religious fundamentalism for that matter should be examined not from the context of the religious ideology per se but from the social, political, and economic factors that shape and continue to affect the history and current events in Muslim societies. Indeed, Hashemi points to the ongoing social transformation and transition of Islamic societies from the traditional to modern that have been characterized by growing restlessness among the lower ranks of society especially with the connivance between the elite and foreign interests. To be able to understand how and why Islamic fundamentalism thrives and flourishes in a world that is supposedly dominantly democratic therefore requires an examination not only of the inherent characteristics of Islam as a religion and the entire cultural and economic spheres of Muslim life but also the influence of foreign policies of powerful nations on the development of these countries. It also entails an examination of the role of gender and class in the creation of socially acceptable standards for religious adherence and how attitudes and preconceived notions of religiosity affect the individual and collective decision to engage in hostile and violent religious activities. Thus, while religious fundamentalism may superficially appear to be the product of Islam’s teaching, Hashemi argues that it is the general tendency of extremists to take things literally; referring to the latter’s justification of violent actions as the â€Å"holy war† or jihad. Likewise, the rapid urbanization and modernization of these societies owing to the intervention of highly-industrialized economies and the subsequent imposition of foreign development paradigms on their own culture and way of life promotes the feeling of being threatened by the West’s tendency to homogenize cultures, ideologies, and economies, which give rise to the perceived need to defend Islam and the Muslim world in general. It could be, as Hashemi posits, that many individuals in the Muslim countries are attracted to the highly messianic premise of fundamentalist beliefs especially at a time when most of these countries are under attack from neo-liberal interests and the developed world is keen on its pursuit of strategic business interests in these regions. In the end, the motivations and driving force of Islamic Fundamentalism, as Hashemi says, may be likened to the very same social forces that have sparked the conflicts, upheavals, and revolutions at the eve of the birth of every new social order. Only this time, these forces happen to be bonded by their common allegiance to the Islamic faith and their pursuit for self-determination.

Financial markets subject Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial markets subject - Research Paper Example Our analysis relates to the determinable impacts of the GFC on the middle-eastern financial markets with specific focus on the financial markets of Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council members. The widely known cause of the recession is the collapsing of the housing bubble in the US in 2006; the bubble was created as a result of lenient credit terms and easy initial availability of housing mortgages, based on the perception that property prices are always likely to appreciate. The initiation of easy credit was made by certain US based banks following the inflow of funds from the booming Asian markets. Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs), that were relatively recent financial instruments, promised residential properties as the security against default; this gave further incentive to the banks to lend out customized loans. The collapse, which resulted from rising interest rates leading to a multitude of defaults, caused a significant drop in the prices of securities that were co llateralized with the housing market. This, in turn, resulted in several financial institutions facing the risk of solvency as speculations regarding huge liquidity shortage rose, causing a great stir in the stock markets world-wide, ending up in record-setting lows (Rashwan, 2012). However several economists debate that financial markets in the middle-east, specifically the GCC countries, were somewhat shielded from the devastative impact that certain Western economies faced. Our analysis will highlight reasons on whether it would be fair to conclude this and if so, on what grounds can we claim economies relating to the gulf cooperation council as any different. Project Objectives: To present a brief reasoning behind the Global Financial Crises 2007-2009 To assess the difference between the impact of the Global Financial Crises on the western markets and in the GCC Countries To determine reasons why the financial markets in Qatar and other GCC countries responded to the crises diff erently To assess whether Islamic financing investments have a contribution to the lesser risk exposure of the gulf markets To draw conclusions on whether there are possibilities for western markets to open up avenues of introducing alternative financial instruments following the impact of the GFC Literature Review: We intend on looking up related literature in order to analyze the impact of the GFC on the middle-eastern financial markets, to devise a conclusive analysis on what factors were responsible for the relevant markets to react differently than most of the West, and to formulate deductive reasoning on whether an alternative form of financial instruments might prove to be a securer investment on the macroeconomic level. To obtain supporting information we will take assistance from a combination of primary as well as secondary sources of information, focusing primarily on related articles and scholarly journals. With the GFC being one of the major contributors for financial d ownturns in history, we hope to obtain appropriate market information that will be sufficient enough for us to reach conclusive grounds by the end of

Media Meanings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media Meanings - Essay Example Whether we care to admit it or not, there is a great deal of truth behind the statement that we are what the media tells us we are. â€Å"Much of what we share, and what we know, and even what we treasure, is carried to us each second in a plasma of electrons, pixels and ink, underwritten by multinational advertising agencies dedicated to attracting our attention for entirely nonaltruistic reasons† (Twitchell 468). This is achieved to great extent through the process of semiotics. Essentially, ‘semiotics’ is a term used to indicate the process of sign analysis in a given culture for indications of meaning at varying levels. â€Å"Semiology therefore aims to take in any system of signs, whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all these, which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainment: these constitute, if not languages, at least systems of signification† (Barthes, 19 64). Thus, it refers to any combination of contextual clues, such as language, image, color, shape, expression or placement, that are combined together in order to communicate a specific sense of meaning to a particular cultural group. Understanding the language of semiotics and myth, advertisements such as Intel’s advertisement for its Duo Core 2 processor can be analyzed for their more subtle communicative effects. Primary elements included in any discussion of semiotics include signifiers, signified and sign. The sign is the end product created through the combined forces of the signifier and the signified. The signifier can be described as â€Å"the form which the sign takes† (Chandler, 2006). This is different from the signified, which refers to â€Å"the concept it [the signifier] represents† (Chandler, 2006). Basically, the signifier is the most basic idea – the physical presence of a flower. The

What significance should transnational actors and processes have for Essay

What significance should transnational actors and processes have for the foreign policy analyst - Essay Example It is mainly the role of the foreign policy analyst who is expected to take into account the transforming nature of the statehood which has been experienced and witnessed in the second part of the 20th century. This is derived from the different insights collected from a number of disciplines that include anthropology, sociology and social psychology. From one of the aspects of IR researchers have questioned the happenings during the last two decades. It has resulted in the argument by various scholars that the processes of privatization, internationalization and trans-nationalization have in a great way resulted in the transformation of how international politics are currently conducted. However, there is great level of competition that is faced by the privileged actors and the foreign offices. These are increasingly faced not only from the available ministries but also the agencies in the governments as well as the non state actors and the international organizations. In this paper, the trends that have resulted to the role and behavior of these actors as well as their processes on the foreign policy analysts and practitioners will be discussed. In addition, it will also analyze the role of the researchers in these activities. Therefore, in this case, a question is presented on the extent to which foreign policy analysis, the sub field of International relations that are actor centric has taken the various related accounts of non states actors who have currently become of growing importance to this subject. The Foreign Policy analysts have made a disapproval of viewing the state as a unitary actor. Because of this the scholars within the field of foreign policy analysis should make appropriate analysis in decision making to involve the non state actors within the first elements of international relations. However, most of the studies have revealed that foreign policy analysis is still focused on the state actors while it tends to